DeSoto becomes first North Texas city to offer paid parental leave for city employees
DESOTO, Texas - DeSoto will now offer paid parental leave for city employees, becoming the first North Texas city to offer this type of leave.
This new policy gives three paid weeks off after the birth of a child for all full-time city employees with at least a year of service time.
Council member Candice Quarles proposed the motion, which passed unanimously on Tuesday after a discussion that lasted more than an hour.
This new policy, which includes police and fire department employees, is set to go into effect on Oct. 1, 2019.
The measure that passed is expected to cost the city $58,000 in overtime costs.
An earlier proposal offered six paid weeks off for mothers and three weeks off for fathers, which would have cost the city an estimated $68,000 in overtime.